Sony Artisan Tony Gale is an award-winning portrait photographer based in NYC who creates compelling images for a range of advertising, editorial and corporate clients. He’s visited all 50 states with his camera, but sometimes nothing beats capturing what you can find in your own backyard. Keep reading below as he shares his home photography kit for documenting nature and daily life close by.
Shop This Kit:
Cameras: Alpha 1 II, RX1R III, RX0 II
Lenses: 14mm f/1.4 G Master, 20-70mm f/4 G, 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G, 100mm f/2.8 Macro G Master
Accessories: 2.0X Teleconverter, TOUGH CF Express Type A Cards
Cameras
Alpha 1 II: I take the Alpha 1 II home because we have fairly frequent animal visitors to our house and the auto-focus speed and frame rate are fantastic when something could run off in seconds. The subject recognition and pre-capture are an excellent feature, making an already great camera even better. Plus having the 50 megapixels is fantastic. I keep the camera by the door with the 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G on it, so I can grab it whenever something cool wanders by.
Photo by Tony Gale. Sony Alpha 1 II. Sony 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G. 1/12800-sec., f/8, ISO 6400
RX1R III: This is my always with me camera, it’s in my backpack next to me on the train home as I write this. I got it because I was taking too many photos of my daughter with my phone. Super light and small, with very resolution and fast autofocus it is a great camera. I keep it handy in case my daughter wants to go outside, or we go for a walk.
Photo by Tony Gale. Sony RX1R III. 1/100-sec., f/4, ISO 100
RX0 II: This is a great little camera, waterproof to 30 feet and super rugged. I can take it in the pool or bury it in the snow. A great little camera.
Photo by Tony Gale. Sony RX0 II. 1/1250-sec., f/4, ISO 125
Lenses
14mm f/1.4 G Master: A super wide G Master lens. Great for accentuating foreground elements and capturing wide vistas. The fast aperture is also good for capturing the night sky. Added to all that it is crazy sharp.
Photo by Tony Gale. Sony Alpha 1 II. Sony 14mm f/1.8 G Master. 1/50-sec., f/10, ISO 200
20-70mm f/4 G: This is a great little compact zoom lens. I love to take it hiking, the 20mm wide end is great for landscapes. With the 70mm being a good choice for portraits.
Photo by Tony Gale. Sony Alpha 1 II. Sony 20-70mm f/4 G. 20-sec., f/8, ISO 640
400-800mm f/6.3-8 G: This is almost always on my Alpha 1 II, ready in case something cool runs by outside. The 400-800mm range is great for wildlife. It is a fast focusing and very sharp lens.
Photo by Tony Gale. Sony Alpha 1 II. Sony 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G. 1/640-sec., f/7.1, ISO 320
100mm f/2.8 Macro G Master: My newest lens, it is a great macro lens. With a 1.4x magnification ratio I can get super close to things and see details I didn’t know were there.
Photo by Tony Gale. Sony Alpha 1 II. Sony 100mm f/2.8 Macro G Master. 1/3-sec., f/5.6, ISO 100
Accessories
2.0X Teleconverter: This doubles the focal length on compatible lenses. On the 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G, it becomes a 800-1600, which is crazy! With the 100mm f/2.8 Macro G Master it lets me get a magnification ratio of 2.8X which is astounding.
Photo by Tony Gale. Sony Alpha 1 II. Sony 100mm f/2.8 Macro G Master + 2.0x Teleconverter. 1/3-sec., f/9, ISO 200
TOUGH SD & CF Express Type A Cards: All TOUGH, the best cards.
Think Tank Card Wallet: For both SD and compact express type A cards.
Gitzo Traveler Tripod: Perfect for long exposures and time lapses.
See more of Tony Gale’s work on his Alpha Universe Profile and on Instagram @tonygalephoto.
